Bank officers roll up sleeves at eco weekend

At the outbreak of World War II in 1942, the first foreign bank in the Philippines, then called The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, was already 70 years in operation in the country. It occupied the second floor of the Wilson Building in Binondo. Unfortunately for The Chartered Bank, the building was claimed by the Japanese imperial army as their treasury headquarters. But because of foresight, the bank officials then were able to evacuate a number of their gold bars to the island of Corregidor.

Corregidor today is historically known as "The Rock," being the key bastion of Philippine and American allies that stood as witness to the cruelties of war, as much as to the valour of soldiers and men who fought for freedom.

Sixty-three years later, the same bank – now called Standard Chartered Bank – with headquarters in the United Kingdom and valiantly continuing its operations in the Philippines 133 years after it set foot in the country in 1872, goes back to Corregidor. There are no gold bars to dig that weekend; instead, Standard Chartered went to Corregidor not for sentimental reasons, but with the resolve of a good corporate citizen.

Last May 7, exactly 63 years after the last Japanese troops landed in Corregidor to conquer the island from the American and Filipino soldiers, two boats carrying two groups of around 100 Standard Chartered Bank’s senior officers landed in the island for its ecological weekend. It was the bank’s first major endeavor in Luzon involving the entire senior management simultaneously engaged, after sponsoring a number of programs on environmental protection, one of the bank’s global advocacies.

The eco weekend trip was also meant to present the bank’s leadership team as a partner of the community in preserving the island from environmental neglect.

The eco tour planned to bring the leadership team to a tour of the island, where the bank officers hoped to assess how Standard Chartered could address issues on reforestation and heighten community awareness in environmental protection in the area.

Corregidor, all of 546.38 hectares, features historical landmarks that attract both foreign and local tourists that reach close to 100,000 annually. With efforts to further develop the area as a tourist destination, the island faces ecological challenges. As the island’s access is through the bay, Standard Chartered deemed that its bay cleaning activity could further steer environmental awareness and compel other private agencies to do their share in the preservation of this historical place.

Leading the bank leadership and management group was chief executive officer Simon Morris. The SCB senior management came in full force: Owen Belman, head, consumer banking; Toto Tansingco, head, global markets; Chandradeshkar Raj, country financial officer; Marivel Gonzales, head, legal and compliance; Annie Gonzales, head-HR; and this writer, head of corporate affairs.

Other senior officers joining the eco weekend were Gerry Tiamson, general manager of wealth management; Sanjay Aggarwal, general manager of credit cards and personal loans; Gabor Kovacs, head of credit for consumer banking; Bobby Fernandez, head of fixed income; Nhilda Causing, OIC of service delivery; Tina Goco, head of cash management; Pinoy Villaluna, head of information technology; Maricar Bolisay, head of outserve. Also among the team were Allan Co, head of collection; Joel de Vera, head of trade sales and supply chain; Richie Gonzales, senior business development manager; Joseph de Lara, relationship manager of large corporates; Bernhard Tsai, senior fixed income manager; Ellen Victor, eBBS manager.

The finance team was in top form at the shoreline: Adrian Thomas, Ivy Cuerpo, and Aimee Go. Top guns of service delivery/operations were all accounted for: senior officer Dave Aquino; Anne Cruz, head of global markets operations; Glo Espiritu; Mina Macayan; Eileen Tankeh; Alya Manansala; Lalu Mirasol; Grace Suarez; Leomel Sayo. Gail Del Rosario represented the customer service team. The credit cards marketing team of Andrew Cajucom, Abigail Cardino, Philip Gioca, Hazel Lim, Bong Lualhati, and Gen Bermejo was highly energetic.

From consumer banking came Angeli Tan, Joel Bustamante, Alex Crisologo, Mark Tan, Alvin Ortiz. Partnerships across the bank breaking backs at the shoreline were demonstrated by Monique Jugo, Luz Durana, and Sidney Cordero.

The branch managers of the bank were also in full bay cleaning battle gear: Jean Baruelo, Makati; Ronnie Austria, Quezon City; Lalaine Sta. Ana, Ortigas; Menchie Bustamante, Alabang; Delbert Ang-It, Caloocan; and Jane Gocuan, Cebu. The professional reliables turned out to be bay cleaning indispensables: Lorrie Borromeo, Brigitte Ignacio, Ian Ruiz, Dindo Amador, and KC Cabrera.

The SCB eco weekend is organized jointly by the bank’s corporate affairs and human resources departments, notably lo Mamangun, corporate affairs officer; Mike Prats, organizational learning manager; Nerisa Berba, relationship manager; Laarni Arellano, organizational learning officer; Tintin Collantes; and the energetic relationship manager Mike Francisco.

The tours took the bank’s two groups around the Corregidor landmarks. Aside from Simon Morris who is a British national, the group had American, Canadian, Indian, and Singaporean nationals on the executive team, who soaked up Philippine history.

The evening’s lateral tour at Malinta Tunnel was a counterpoint of the day. After raving over the light and sound show scripted by the late noted film director Lamberto Avellana, and which vividly re-enacted World War II’s dramatic events, the group geared up for a different kind of battle.

Constructed from 1992 to 1932, Malinta Tunnel has a main tunnel 835 feet long and 24 feet wide, with 24 laterals branching from it. Originally an arsenal and an underground hospital, its unique bomb-proof headquarters housed embattled Filipino and American soldiers and served as the seat of Philippine government under President Manuel L. Quezon. Donning hard hats and determined to relive the conditions of the war, the bank officers later admitted experiencing lumps in their throats as heavy emotions surged over the courageous stand of those who died during the war.

Dinner for the group was a reflection moment, but not without mention of the bank’s ongoing campaigns like Outserve and the forthcoming Loyalty Week. The evening was capped by the usual song and musical numbers that brought forth the creativity and talents of the bank officers.

At sunrise, CEO Simon Morris led the bank’s senior and middle management team to meet their bay cleaning partners: Corregidor Foundation Inc., the Coast Guard, and the Corregidor Hotel staff.

Scanning the shoreline upon setting foot at the designated area gave the group a momentary scare, as the tons of waste to be collected seemed insurmountable. But dividing themselves into four quadrants of two teams each, it was the best showcase of partnership bonded on a strong resolve to make a difference for the community and the environment.

For the bay cleaning activity, no one bank officer wore his/her business hat; only the plastic gloves to maximize maneuvering the task of gathering waste and discards from the sea. Partnership and teamwork were the operative words of the day, evident in the synchrony of manually going through the bay cleaning chores of picking up trash, sweeping off broken glass and other sharp objects, raking through the shoreline for floating pieces of log, styrofoam, tin cans, plastic bottles, shoes, slippers, fish nets, and odds and ends of unidentified objects.

The concluding rites were highlighted by the bank’s pledges to protect the environment and and its affirmation to continue its partnership with the Corregidor Foundation Inc. in preserving the ecological balance of the island. Doves were released; visions for the future were sealed in a bottle that went adrift with the currents; a song was composed; tree seedlings were turned over; and a giant kite was flown. "A Pledge to the Environment" was recited in unison, led by the CEO.

As the sea waters swiftly rose to a high tide, more than 100 garbage bags had been brought to the waiting lorry of the Coast Guard, while some more were piled up at the shoreline. The blue and green banners of Standard Chartered, symbolically planted at the shoreline, proudly waved against the morning sun, competing only with the deep colors of blue and green of the water in that stretch of Corregidor bay, which was temporarily transformed to its cleanest yet.